Bayer Leverkusen will hope to edge closer to the top four places when they face Augsburg this weekend at the BayArena. Die Werkself enter Matchday 30 of the Bundesliga after…

In our first episode of our newest K League United Podcast K League Conversations, Matthew Binns sits down with TNT FC CEO Kim Taeryung, Introducing K League Conversations, A K League United Podcast dedicated to hearing from and showcasing interviews with players, club officials, media and more in order to get a more insightful picture into K League. Our first guest is the CEO of TNT FC, Kim Taeryung. A former K League player himself, Kim's involvement in TNT FC has helped see the K5 League team develop into one of Korea's more unique clubs, where talent comes to train and develop to keep these players within football. View this post on Instagram A post shared by K League United (@kleagueunited) After winning the K5 League last season, in addition to the prestigious Club of the Year from the Korea Football Association, Kim talks us through the season ahead and the club's position in Korean football. Where to Listen

For Irish football fans, Olympique Lyonnais (often simply referred to as Lyon or Les Gones) holds a special place in recent memory. It was in Lyon, during the heady days of Euro 2016, that tens of thousands of the Green Army descended upon the city, creating an unforgettable atmosphere and cementing a bond between the… The post Les Gones: A Guide to Olympique Lyon’s Players first appeared on Breaking The Lines.

Mikel Arteta has been told Arsenal 'might have won the Premier League already' had they signed a £26m striker instead of Viktor Gyokeres.

Two ‘factory’ teams of German football proved that there is plenty at stake in the Bundesliga after a 6-3 win for Leverkusen They said nobody cared enough for the stakes to be this high. If discussion over the destination of the title (and second place for that matter) has been and gone, there is plenty more in the Bundesliga tank and for Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, two clubs who will never hold universal approval despite producing teams to thrill us and break the Bayern monopoly in the last two decades, that is truer than for most. Before RB Leipzig were around to corral all the disapproval of German supporters at large, there was El Plastico. As the two ‘factory’ teams of German football, grown from Bayer and Volkswagen respectively rather than from a fanbase, Leverkusen and Wolfsburg have endured a lifetime of rival fans looking down their noses at them, judging them as not organic or real enough. Conversely this fixture, if derided by some, has produced a string of memorable games; the 5-4 win for Wolfsburg at the Bay Arena in 2015 during current coach Dieter Hecking’s successful first spell, sealed by Bas Dost’s four goals, or the typically later-than-late Leverkusen 4-3 in September 2024 dusted by Victor Boniface’s stoppage-time winner. So when Bild’s headline called this “the wildest plastico of all time,” they really did mean it was something special. Tension and huge potential consequences can often make for a stilted, cautious spectacle. Not here. For Wolfsburg, there was an element of predictability in that it was a 20th successive game without a clean sheet – and they didn’t look like keeping one for an instant. Still, the record – the worst defensive run in the club’s history since a previous Hecking side did the same in 2014 – wouldn’t have mattered at all had Die Wölfe held the 3-1 lead with which they approached half-time, having seemingly found some nerve to help their desperate situation at the bottom of the table. In that first half, Hecking would have been delighted. If there had been a thick volume of hard luck stories over recent weeks, Wolfsburg had no time to listen to them here. After Jonas Wind’s opener, they were unhappy with the penalty awarded to Leverkusen when Joakim Mæhle feathered a slight touch on Ibrahim Maza in the penalty area – converted for the hosts by Alejandro Grimaldo – but literally seconds later Mæhle himself stepped up to blast Wolfsburg back in front with a rocket from long range. When Christian Eriksen converted a Wolfsburg penalty shortly after it was 3-1 and finally the strugglers were showing real fortitude. There was light, at last, at the end of the tunnel. Instead, the inevitable Grimaldo brought Leverkusen back into the match by finishing a smart move just before half-time, enabling his coach, Kasper Hjulmand, to make the changes at the break to turn the match, and perhaps to change his own fate at the helm. For if we look at Wolfsburg’s moment of crisis, the home side were facing one at 3-1 down. “A change of coach is not a scenario we are considering,” Leverkusen’s sporting director, Simon Rolfes, had said before the game but losing at home to a team in the bottom two – to severely compromise Die Werkself’s chances of a return to the Champions League – would have sorely tested that stance. It wouldn’t have been the first time Rolfes has been forced into an abrupt pivot this season. That, incidentally, is what Hjulmand used to really change the momentum; taking off Equi Fernández, bringing on Patrik Schick to join Christian Kofane up front and really attacking in a season where Leverkusen have often looked too tentative. Schick equalised from another spot-kick before Edmund Tapsoba put the hosts in front. The excellent Maza added another and substitute Malik Tillman made it six after a brilliant slalom along the byline by Ernest Poku.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and Nicky Bandini as Italy suffer World Cup heartbreak once again and England play out yet another disappointing friendly. Subscribe to The Guardian Football Weekly ► https://www.youtube.com/@FootballWeeklyPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Chapters: 00:00 - Coming up... 00:54 - Italy are NOT on the plane 16:25 - Sweden ARE on the plane 20:00 - Czechia beat Denmark 21:14 - Turkey, are they dark horses? 00:23:13:00 - Ad break 23:15 - Tuchel loses to another good team 33:30 - World Cup round up inc. Iran and Iraq 00:36:42:14 - Ad break 2 36:44 - Spurs appoint De Zerbi Support the Guardian ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Guardian Football Weekly podcast: Apple ► https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/football-weekly/id188674007 Spotify ► https://open.spotify.com/show/6w8qWe0kjgHEHSWDSDGoLW?si=231c666f7f5a4453 Follow Guardian Football Weekly: Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardian_footballweekly/ TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@guardian_footballweekly #italy #england #worldcup

On Wednesday's Football Daily, Phil Egan rounds off all the international action as Ireland’s campaign ends with a 0-0 draw with North Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium. Troy Parrott has two goals ruled out for offside, with the second likely standing if VAR had been available. Senior debuts for James Abankwah and Bosun Lawal, while Harvey Vale makes his first Dublin appearance. Mark Travers replaces Caoimhin Kelleher at half-time; Seamus Coleman receives a standing ovation on what could be his final Ireland outing. A total of 17 substitutions made, with Johnny Kenny going close late after Adam Idah’s flick. Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson describes the game as “strange” after the stalemate. Bosun Lawal reflects on a proud moment making his senior international debut. Nearly 40,000 fans attend; Jayson Molumby praises the continued support. Assistant coach John O’Shea calls working with Ireland a privilege amid contract uncertainty. Finn Azaz impresses in attack, with Hallgrimsson highlighting his growing importance. Ireland U21s beat Kazakhstan 1-0, and the U17s qualify for another World Cup after a 7-0 win over Slovakia. League of Ireland coverage returns with Drogheda United hosting Bohemians. Italy miss a third straight World Cup after losing on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sweden, Türkiye, DR Congo, Czechia and Iraq confirm World Cup qualification. Scotland lose to Côte d’Ivoire, England fall to Japan, and Northern Ireland draw with Wales in friendly action. Become a member and sign up at offtheball.com/join

Hello Rank Squad! This international break gave us what we've been waiting for - the final names locked in for this summer's World Cup field. 48 nations have locked and loaded their spots in the biggest tournament in world football. Perhaps the biggest one missing though, once again, is Italy - with the Azzurri beaten on penalties by Bosnia & Herzegovina to make it three World Cups in a row that they have now missed out on qualification for. We break down that game, as well as Czechia's penalty shootout win over Denmark; Sweden's dramatic late show against Poland; and Türkiye's ground out 1-0 win over Kosovo; as the final European nations booked their places, before heading onwards to take a look at some of our favourite things from the now-set group stages. We take a peek at where the biggest upsets could come, the Group of Death, the Group of Life, where the goals will come, where the chaos will come and who has the most to lose, within the 12 groups of four; before rounding things off with the games you cannot miss in that first round of fixtures. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? (http://patreon.com/ranksfc) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres scored a late winner to send Sweden to the World Cup with a 3-2 win over Poland on Tuesday night.

Sweden, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Turkey and Czech Republic booked their place at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday.